The Avnet Technology Solutions unit of Phoenix-based distributor Avnet Inc. has forged a partnership with middleware vendor relayr aimed at helping channel pros build, deploy, and support Internet of Things solutions more easily.
relayr, which is headquartered in Boston, makes a cloud-based platform designed to connect the heterogenous array of devices, sensors, applications, and operating systems typically found in Internet of Things solutions. Optimized for the manufacturing, retail, government, healthcare, and energy industries, the system is hardware, software, and platform agnostic and features streaming services, an open API, and open source libraries for both hardware and software.
“relayr addresses one of the central challenges of IoT with a truly comprehensive enterprise middleware platform that can turn our partners into IoT solution developers,” said Colin Blair, vice president of data analytics and IoT solutions for Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, in a press statement. “Working together, Avnet and relayr will empower partners to help their customers create IoT solutions that span a wide range of devices and offer solutions from simple experimentation kits to industrial hardware, supporting their customers’ digital transformation processes.”
Avnet partners will also have access to relayr’s open source software development kits and sensor kits for rapid solution prototyping. Those will include a starter kit designed to help partners quickly and affordably develop IoT proof of concept solutions based on technologies from Cisco Systems Inc., of San Jose, Calif.
“relayr plays a pivotal role in providing all key components to develop complete IoT solutions, and Avnet has the time-tested experience and expertise to deliver those solutions with the value demanded by the channel,” said Josef Brunner, relayr CEO and co-founder, in today’s press release. “Our cloud-based enterprise middleware platform for industrial IoT enables organizations to connect any device, harmonize heterogeneous data streams, and make them available for dashboards, mobile apps, services, and analytics.”
Avnet plans to provide extensive sales enablement and solution architect training specifically focused on IoT solutions combining Avnet, relayr, and Cisco offerings.
Avnet recently sold Avnet Technology Solutions to rival distributor Tech Data Corp. of Clearwater, Fla., for $2.6 billion in connection with a strategic plan to focus more narrowly on opportunities in the growing market for Internet of Things solutions and embedded systems. Tech Data will assume ownership of the relayr alliance announced today, however, when the Avnet Technology Solutions transaction closes.
